Lost JW202 form and visa issues

[bobbadeer]

Hi all,

 

Have a bit of an unfortunate / poorly timed situation. Any prompt advice on the following would be very highly appreciated.

 

Applied and was accepted to 2 universities in China for language study starting Feb 2014. Received admission documents (JW202 and invitation letter) from each.

 

Mailed passport + documents from 1 university to the chinese consulate for visa processing. They then sent my passport incl. visa + original documents back to me and the postal service has "lost" all of it.

 

Backup plan was to get a new passport and apply for the second university using the respective documents. HOWEVER, when I get a new passport, the number will change and will therefore be different to the original passport number listed on the JW202 form.

 

The consulate here is happy to process it and give me a student visa. My only concern is that when I go to the police station to convert the visa to a residence permit, it won't be possible because the passport number listed on the JW202 form will be different to the one on my new passport. 

 

With the time frame I doubt it would be possible for the university to send me a new JW202 form in time for the semester. 

 

Sorry if the above is a little confusing. Please help!

 

 

[gato]

Do you have copies of the lost documents? If so, perhaps you can show the Chinese consulate the copies and convince them to re-issue the same visa?

[bobbadeer]

Yes have copies. The problem is not from the embassy here, it's for the registration when I get to beijing.

 

Embassy said they can issue me with the standard 30 day student visa which can be transferred to the residence permit after registering in Beijing. 

 

Problem / risk I forsee is that the JW202 form with the old passport number won't be acceptable once I get to beijing and that university won't be able to issue a new JW202 form etc

[gato]

You have a copy of your old passport, right? Perhaps that, together with your new passport, will be sufficient. People do lose their passports from time to time.

[bobbadeer]

Yes agreed. Just don't want to get there and not be able to do anything in chance it's not acceptable... Cheers for your advice, appreciate it.  

 

Anyone else have similar experiences??

[mandarina]

I once gave the JW form to the embassy for issuing the visa, and they didn't give it back to me. I arrived to China and then had to register at the police, and of course, I didn't have the form. Luckily I still had a (very poor) scanned copy of it. They said it wasn't ok. I made an argument that embassy yada yada, I didn't know etc they said I should go to the Uni office and get a stamp on this scan - huh? I got the form stamped and then they said it was ok.

 

Bottom line: if you can get some official looking document or stamp supporting your documents it would help - it's the only way that they would make an exception

[bobbadeer]

Thanks for your response. Issue is not that I don't have an original, issue is that the passport number on the original JW202 form is different to passport number in new passport

[Silent]

 

Problem / risk I forsee is that the JW202 form with the old passport number won't be acceptable once I get to beijing and that university won't be able to issue a new JW202 form etc

 

I'm not very knowledgeable in this field. I guess you might be right, but would not be surprised if there is no problem. After all, if it was really unacceptable they probably wouldn't issue the visa in the first place. If you have a copy of the old passport and/or police report about the loss that may help.

 

But how about asking the uni to issue a new form and pick it up there and convert with that? Or is there a form number on the visa?

[bobbadeer]

Suspect the number on the visa might correlate to the form number. But that's just speculation.... 

 

Just a pain with the timing because the uni's are all on break at the moment. cheers for your advice

[Onwards & Upwards]

I've been in a slightly similar situation before although not with this kind of timing...

 

I would suggest you get your new passport as soon as possible.  From there, you need to contact your universities.  I realize they're on holiday now but try calling/emailing.  If somebody doesn't email you back, then I'd imagine someone would be in the International Education Office within a few days to deal with students, like your yourself, preparing for the new semester.

 

Once you make contact, they should be willing to type, sign, stamp, scan, and email you an official document to you which will briefly explain the situation and provide all other relevant information (mainly your new passport number).  This document along with your new passport, a copy of your previous passport, and the other forms you already have (acceptance letter, visa form, etc.) should allow you to get your visa to enter the country.

 

Perhaps I overlooked some of the details you mentioned but I believe what I outlined is the standard procedure... Good luck!

[roddy]

I think if you can get a student visa and then turn up in China with a university to go to, then it's very unlikely they won't give you the residence permit. They might not like it, but the fact an embassy has been happy to issue the visa will go a long way. 

 

If there's any documentation from the passport authorities or police saying that you have reported passport 12345667 missing, take that. 

 

Often universities handle residence permit applications in bulk for all the students. If that's the case, make sure they understand the situation. If you're doing it yourself, get a letter from the university saying they are aware of the situation, can the PSB please...

 

Actually, having just re-read your post (yeah, should do that first....) - are you changing university because of this? This seems a bit extreme. There's a good chance you could come in on a tourist visa and then convert. It'd be shame to go to a second-choice place because of an admin problem. 

[bobbadeer]

Thanks for the advice guys. I agree, I can't image them completely turning me away and saying no to the residence permit.

 

Main concern is that for the first choice university, the original invitation form + JW202 form have been lost as has my passport. While I do have copies of the originals, the details will be different to what is listed on my new passport. i.e. lots of issues for them to deal with...

[bobbadeer]

Just one more quick question on this, has anyone (aside from mandarina above) ever been able register at the university + PSB using only photocopies of the JW202 form + invitation letter? thanks!

[bobbadeer]

Just updating on above for others reference. Got the visa issued and checked with the university and they've said it's no problem. Thanks for everyone's advice!

[ebarns01]

Hello! 

 

I am having a somewhat similar situation and am in desperate need for advice.

 

I sent out my visa application, JW202 and passport about a month ago and the package was lost in transit to the visa processing agency (Travisa). So I never actually got the visa.

 

I have since gotten a new passport (potentially big mistake), but have no original JW202 (only photocopies), and was turned down at the consulate. 

 

There is a chance the post might still find my package (losing hope). In which case I would have my old passport, my JW202 that is linked to my old passport, and my new passport. Will this be sufficient to get a visa, on the off chance that the post does locate my package??

 

I have already put in a request for a new JW202, but it may take weeks to come. Oh, and my flight is supposed to depart a week from today.

 

I WILL ACCEPT ANY AND ALL ADVICE! I have tried calling and emailing the consulate, creating a task force of USPS workers to find my package, etc. Anyone with similar experience or advice would be greatly appreciated. 

[roddy]

Ask your university. It's quite possible they'll just tell you to come over on a tourist visa and convert it in China. 

[ebarns01]

They have told me that this may be an option, but because of the recent changes in China's visa policies, they have not had anyone do it before, so they are reluctant to suggest this method. Has anyone ever done this successfully?

 

They also suggested going to Hong Kong first, then applying for a student visa there. I'm not sure if I would need a JW202 to do this, but I feel like I would.

 

Thanks for the post!

[bobbadeer]

If roddy's advice doesn't work, try harder to persuade them to issue you the visa with the photocopies. I know for a fact that it is actually possible. Failing this (and if the originals don't arrive), see if you can get the university to email you an official signed / chopped letter for you to present to the consulate. Your situation is almost identical to what I had. It really isn't fun. Good luck!

[sineadk611]

Hi all,

I applied for my x1 visa back in June and stupidly never kept a copy of my jw202. I succesfully obtained my visa but I am aware that I need the jw202 form to apply for a residency permit within 30 days of arrival in Beijing. Has anybody got any idea what I should do? Any help at all would be really much appreciated. My one problem is that my flight leaves in 3 days. And yes, it was stupid of me to only discover this problem now. I have emailed the head of international affairs at Renmin university but she is on holidays until september. Please help!!

[bobbadeer]

hey, no need to stress about it at all. The PSB issues 3 copies of the JW202, you get 1 and the uni gets 2. So when you get to the uni they will (/should) have one filed away for you. If they don't have a copy, am sure they can write up a short note or alternatively go with you to the PSB to arrange something. Shouldn't be a problem!